Heard a customer at the hardware store ask for a 'quick quench' bucket.

I was picking up some 1080 steel in Bakersfield last week and overheard a guy at the counter. He was buying a plastic bucket and specifically asked the clerk if it was 'rated for a quick quench.' The clerk just stared, completely blank. The guy seemed totally serious, like he expected a plastic bucket to have a heat tolerance rating. I had to walk away before I laughed. Has anyone else run into a misunderstanding about basic gear that was just plain funny?

3 comments

3 Comments

sandrat2414d ago

Saw a video last week where a guy tried to quench a knife in a cheap paint bucket and it melted into a puddle. Plastic and hot oil really don't mix. That customer must have been mixing up his terms or heard some bad advice online. The clerk's confused face must have been priceless.

lindab4913d ago

Actually, I believe the customer might have been onto something. Some folks do use plastic buckets for water quenching to avoid rust stains. That poor clerk just got caught in a classic case of mixed-up shop talk.

thea_mitchell207d ago

Oh man, @sandrat24 that video sounds wild but totally makes sense. Plastic just can't handle that kind of heat, it's gotta be a metal quench tank for oil. I bet the customer was thinking of water for hardening like lindab49 said, but even then a plastic bucket could warp from the temperature change.